Waycross Men Charged With Enticing Minors To Engage In Sex Acts And With Producing Child Pornography

SAVANNAH, GA: JACQUES DONTE TAYLOR, 22, and DONNEL CORNELIUS SHAVERS, 22, both of Waycross, Georgia, were indicted by a federal grand jury sitting in Savannah earlier this week on numerous counts of enticing minors to engage in sexual acts and with production of child pornography.  In part, the indictment alleges that from January through March of 2014 TAYLOR and SHAVERS persuaded, induced, and enticed two minors to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing child pornography.

United States Attorney Edward J. Tarver said, “These defendants have been charged with committing heinous acts against young children.  Our children deserve protection from those who abuse and prey on them.  The U. S. Attorney’s Office will continue to aggressively prosecute those who violate the innocence of our children.”

“The online exploitation of children is a problem being faced by law enforcement agencies at all levels of government,” said Brock D. Nicholson, special agent in charge of ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Atlanta.  “By working with local partners like the Ware County Sheriff’s Office, HSI special agents can use their unique authorities and technical expertise to help fully investigate crimes against children and ensure their perpetrators are brought to justice.”

    Ware County Sheriff Randy F. Royal stated, “I am proud of our investigator, Detective Hope Salinas, who began the initial investigation, which led to Mr. Taylor and Mr. Shavers’ arrests and their being charged with child molestation and other state-level felonies.  I am prouder still of the level of support and the spirit of cooperation between our agency and Homeland Security Investigations, which afforded the manpower and resources needed to broaden the scope of the investigation so that all the victims in this case will get the opportunity for justice.”

The federal indictment of TAYLOR and SHAVERS arises out of a joint investigation by the HSI and the Ware County Sheriff’s Office, with additional assistance from the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office.  Tarver emphasized that an indictment is only an accusation and is not evidence of guilt.  The defendants are entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the Government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, which is a nationwide U. S. Department of Justice initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse.  Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims.

Assistant United States Attorney Daniel R. Crumby is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.  For additional information, please contact First Assistant United States Attorney James D. Durham at (912) 201-2547.